I'll Take a Chance (5 page)

“Kyle, it’s good to see you. I’m all ready
. Let me just grab my backpack, and we can head on out.”

She grabs her backpack
, and I can tell there is just something different about her today. She seems more, I don’t know, relaxed. I take her backpack from her, and we walk to the elevator holding hands. I can see the grin on her lips as we walk to my car. I know what she’s feeling, because I’m wearing that exact same grin. I put her backpack in the trunk with mine then open her door for her.

“You seem happy. Did you have a good lunch with Willow?”
I ask.

“Yes, I did. I should have had that talk with her a long time ago.”

“Is it something I can help you with?” I ask, hoping she would open up with me.

She looks at me with horror
, while her cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

“No, uh it was just a girl talk. You know
, about girl things,” she says and looks out the passenger window.

“Well
, whatever it was, I’m glad. I like to see you happy. Is your hand doing OK? I totally forgot about it, maybe we should cancel the hike.”

“No, really it’s fine. I’
ve been looking forward to the hike all day.”

“Alright
, but I’ll keep an extra special eye on you all day.” And I don’t just mean her hand, I say to myself.

We meet Spence and Amanda
at Twin Falls Trail just thirty miles outside of Seattle. The hike is beautiful and one we have done several times. This will be Amelia’s first time on this trail, and I know she is just going to love it.

“Is everyone ready to go?” Spence says as he grabs his backpack and puts it on.

“I think Amelia and I are ready,” I say. I help Amelia put her backpack on then I put on my own.

Amelia and Amanda hit it off right away like I knew they would. They walk behind Spence and
I chatting away, getting to know one another. After a little ways, Spence grabs Amanda’s hand and they walk ahead huddled together talking and laughing with each other. I walk next to Amelia and grab her good hand in mine, and we walk in silence as we take in the beautiful scenery.

“I’ve been thinking. If I tell you about why I almost gave up being a doctor
, will you tell me what was bothering you at dinner about your ex-boyfriend?” I ask as I look into her eyes hoping we can both open up to each other just a little.

I can see her thinking hard about that one. My guess is that she wants to know so bad
why I almost gave up being a doctor that she is willing to tell me just about anything.

“That’s a tough decision
. Let me think about it for awhile. If I do tell you, it has to be alone, I wouldn’t want Amanda and Spence to be a part of the conversation.”

“Absolutely, they usually break off by themselves on the way back so they can have some alone ti
me. Think about it, no pressure,” I assure her.

We walk hand in hand until we reach the half way point. Spence and Amanda
rest for a few minutes drinking water then invite us out to dinner later this evening at a burger joint. We accept and tell them we will see them there at eight.

“So, did you think about it?” I ask her
, hopeful she will let me in just a little if I give her a little piece of me.

“I did. I will tell you
, but I will warn you if you laugh at me I will never forgive you. It’s extremely personal, and I think I will need my head examined after I tell you.”

“Alright
, I’ll tell you my story first. Full disclosure here, I’m only telling you about why I almost gave up being a doctor. My sister and my family is a whole other story for some other time. And Amelia, I would never laugh at you.”

“Alright, a
greed then.”

“I was just out of medical school and I was doing my internship at a different hospital. There is a little bit of my sister in this story
, but only because it’s relevant. My sister and I are twins. We went all through college and medical school together. We were even doing our internship at the same hospital together. It was only our second birth we did together. The doctor on duty couldn’t be located so Chloe and I had to do the delivery by ourselves.

“
Something went horribly wrong. The mother and baby went into distress. Everything started happening all at once. Their condition deteriorated so quickly. In the end the mother and baby died. It was the first time I had experienced death. I thought all through medical school that it was all about new life and beginnings for families.

“
Of course, I knew there were risks and babies died, but I never prepared myself for a mother and baby to die together. It almost destroyed both my sister and I. I really questioned whether or not I could continue. A few weeks later, I learned it was not our fault, that the mother had an underlying condition that put her and her baby at severe risk. I was told even the best of doctors couldn’t have changed the outcome.”

I finish talking and glance at Amelia and she has tears streaming down her cheeks. I quickly wipe them away.

“Kyle, that is so awful and sad. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to either Willow or Abbey.”

“It took me a long time to accept what happened and move on. Alright
, it’s your turn to share,” I tell her, hoping I shared enough of me to let me into a little of her.

“Ugh, alright
. I can’t believe I’m going to say this to you, I only met you a few days ago.”

She tells me all about her ex-boyfriend
, Roger, and the things that he said to her. Every word she says I’m having a hard time not losing my shit. I don’t want to interrupt her. I want her to get it all out. But this fuck wad obviously doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, and I can’t believe a man would ever say those things to a woman. He obviously is no kind of man at all if he can’t see to the needs of his girlfriend. What a selfish prick.

“Amelia
, I’m glad you talked to Willow about this, and I’m glad she told you the things she told you. I’m sure there is nothing wrong with you. It was probably a combination of several things, but it probably has nothing to do with your ability to have a…”

“Please don’t say it. I’
m already mortified to have even told you the whole story,” she says, while holding up her hands to stop me from talking.

“Well
, I’m glad you told me and I would never have laughed at you. No real man would say those things to a woman.  A real man sees to the needs of his woman. First.”

I lean slightly into her and kiss her on the lips. She is warm and soft and being out in nature kissing a woman like Amelia les
sens the pain of my family drama. Just a little bit.

“We should head back if we want to make it back
in time to still meet Spence and Amanda for dinner,” I tell her and grab her hand then lead her back to the car.

Amelia

I never intended on telling a single soul about my problem or about Roger, but today I have told two people in the matter of hours. I did leave out the spray paint this time with Kyle, because he already looked so angry. I can’t imagine what he would do if he found out about the spray paint. I have to say it feels pretty damn good though. I was relieved Kyle didn’t laugh at me or think I was deformed. We drove back to my apartment and Kyle said he would pick me back up at seven thirty. I jump in the shower and quickly get ready. Soon my door is buzzing, and I buzz Kyle up to my apartment.

“Are you ready to go?
” he asks.

“I am.”

“Let me wrap your hand a little better for you. I think tomorrow you can leave the wrap off and just wear a bandage. I’ll check it again in a few days, and we might be able to remove the stitches,” he tells me.

I don’t think I can wait that long.
My hand feels so much better, and it will be nice not to have to wear this big gauze wrap.

We walk to the burger place a few blocks from my apartment.
Spence and Amanda are waiting at a table already drinking a beer. There is a pitcher and two empty glasses waiting for us. All four of us order an enormous burger and garlic fries and wash it down with plenty of beer. The four of us get along so great and spending time with Kyle has been so incredibly nice. Tomorrow is Monday, and I can just imagine how crazy it is going to be. I really should call it a night.

“I hate to break up this party
, but I really should be going. I have a busy day tomorrow at work,” I tell everyone.

“Yes, I need to get going as well
. I have rounds at seven in the morning,” Kyle says.

Kyle pays for our meal
, takes my hand and we walk back to my apartment. We stand just outside the building, and he pulls me in for a hug.

“I had a really nice time tod
ay. When can I see you again?” he asks.

“
I do have a busy day tomorrow, and then I have a dinner at Asher and Willow’s with my family. Let me give you my cell phone number, and we can figure it out tomorrow.”

“Alright, thank you for listening to me today
, and I want you to know I really appreciate you sharing with me today too. I also want you to know I’m pretty sure your ex-boyfriend is an asshole.”

“W
illow said the exact same thing,” I say laughing.

He gives me a tight squeeze an
d kisses me. It starts off slow and warm then the next thing I know his hand is fisted in my hair, and I have my hand up his shirt. I quickly remember we are standing outside my apartment building and break off the kiss.

“
We’ll talk tomorrow?” I ask him.

“Absolutely
. Have a good night, Amelia.”

“You too
, Kyle, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I don’t know what comes over me, but I grab the sides of his face and plant another hot kiss on his lips and then I turn around and let myself into the building. I push the up button on the elevator and glance out the window. Kyle is still standing there just staring at the door with a goofy grin on his face. The elevator opens, and I step in giving him a little wave goodbye. The elevator door closes, and I realize I didn’t even give him my number.

Monday morning is as crazy as I thought it would be. Asher is taking two weeks off to be with Willow and Abbey. So not only am I an assistant short
, I am taking on some of Asher’s work too. I haven’t even had time for my usual espresso and I think I’m about ready to go postal on the next person to walk into my office. Just then there is a knock on the door and I seriously have had it.

“WHAT
?” I yell.

“
I have a delivery for a Ms. Wellington,” a soft voice replies from behind the door. Ugh. I get up and open the door to an arrangement of flowers and a card being held by a delivery man.

“I’m
so sorry I yelled, it’s been one of those days.” I take the card and the delivery boy places the flowers on my desk. He doesn’t even wait for a tip and high tails it out of my office. I’m not going to survive this. Maybe I need a temporary assistant until Willow comes back. I inhale the beautiful smell of the flowers and try to calm myself down.

I plop in my chair and open the card. It’s from Kyle. He tells me to call him
when I have a free moment, and he hopes I am having a good day. Well I’m having a bad day, but it just got a little bit better. I dial his number and listen to it ring. On the third ring I hear his soothing voice answer.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Kyle, it’s me, Amelia. I just got your flowers. Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome. How is your day going?”
he asks.

“A lot better
now. Sorry, I totally forgot that I never gave you my cell phone number last night.”

“That’s alright. I still knew where to find you. Has your day
really been that bad?” he asks with concern.

“
It’s even worse than bad. I just bit the flower delivery guys head off, and I think I’m going to have to contact a temp agency and get a temporary assistant in here until Willow can return. How about you? How is your day?”

“Busy, but no more than usual.
I can’t talk long. I just wanted you to call me so I can have your number. I hope your day gets easier. I’ll try to text you later, OK?”

“Sure, thanks again for the flowers
, and I hope you have a good rest of your day too,” I tell him with a smile.

That was just what I needed to brighten my day. My next call is to a temp agency. The rest of my day went pretty smoothly
, and I have a temp starting tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to spend some time with my new niece tonight.

I walk into Asher and Willow
’s house, and it smells amazing. Willow’s mom Judy is in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. Both of my parents are wearing t-shirts that say they are proud grandparents of Abbey. I can see Judy has one on too, what a bunch of dorks. My whole family is here, all my brothers and sister along with Willow’s mom and step-dad.

We all gather at the table and eat the wonderful meal
that Judy has prepared. Baby Abbey is passed around and is so content to just be held. For the past few minutes Kyle and I have been texting. I can’t help myself, and I know I have a huge goofy grin on my face too. I catch Willow staring at me, and she throws a huge smile my way. I know I’m being rude texting at the table, but it’s just so much fun.

Asher and Willow take Abbey upstairs to put her to bed
, but as soon as Willow comes back downstairs she makes a direct path to me.

“Who has your attentions this evening? Could it be the handsome Dr. Peters?”
she asks sarcastically.

“He sent me flowers at work today. I forgot to give him my number so he sent his number along with the flowers.
Wasn’t that just so sweet? I talked to him earlier today and we have been texting back and forth all evening.”

“That sounds promising. Do you g
uys have any plans on a date?” she asks with a devilish smirk on her face.

“No. Why? What have you got going on in the crazy brain of yours?”

“I was just thinking. What do you think about going out on a double date with Asher and I. How about tomorrow night? See if he has the night off, and I will make all the arrangements. I haven’t been out in so long, and Asher and I could both use a night out. My mom would be ecstatic to babysit,” she says waving her hands in the air.

“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll text him and let you know. You know
, I took your advice and on our hike, I told him about Roger. I didn’t think I would be telling him so soon, but we just kind of both opened up to each other. He was furious with what Roger did.”

“I’m proud of you for telling him. Now we can get working on getting you
, a you know what.”

“Are you sure you want to be going out so soon? You did just push a human being out of
your body, just a few days ago,” I ask concerned.

“
Trust me, I still remember, but I feel great. It’ll only be for an hour or two. Don’t you worry about me, I’ll shove a little extra here and a little more there,” she says pointing to her boobs and crotch. I seriously didn’t need to know any of that.

“Oh
, he just texted, he said he’s free tomorrow night after seven. He said he’ll pick me up, and I can tell him where we’re going then.”

“Sweet,
I can’t wait to have a night out. And more importantly, I can’t wait to see the two of you together,” she says in a hushed voice.

“What are the two of you whispering about over there?” Asher says with that knowing grin. It’s like he knows we’re up to no good
, or at least he knows Willow is up to no good.

“We have a double date tomorrow night with Amelia and Dr. Peters
,” she announces rather loudly. It’s just loud enough for the entire room to hear. I think she did that on purpose.

Now my whole family is up in my business wanting to know all about Kyle. Good job
, Willow. I can’t be too mad at her though. She’s definitely one in a million.

Kyle

Work breezed by and I’
m getting ready to pick up Amelia for a double date with her brother and her sister-in-law. I am surprised Willow wants to go out so soon after having a baby, but she did have a fairly easy delivery. Amelia texted earlier and said it was a casual Italian place that Willow had made reservations for at seven thirty. I buzz her building at a quarter after seven and wait anxiously. She buzzes me up, and I take the elevator to her floor. She opens the door wearing a pair of cropped black pants with a stunning white low cut blouse and the cherry on top, a pair of yellow spiked heels.  This woman has a thing for shoes, and I can’t help but think that I would love to give her, her first orgasm wearing nothing but those shoes. She leans in and kisses me on the cheek and she smells amazing.

“Hi, I’m all ready if you are,” s
he says with a killer smile.

“I am.” I give her my arm a
nd she locks her apartment. It’s only a ten minute drive to the restaurant, and once inside we give the hostess our name. We are the first ones there, but she shows us to our table.

“I have never been here. Have you?” I ask Amelia.

“Just a few times, Asher really likes this place,” she answers.

A few minutes later Asher and Willow arrive
, and by the worried look on Willow’s  face I can tell this was a little harder on her to be away from the baby than she expected.

“I am so sorry we’
re late, Abbey was fussing and I just couldn’t leave until I knew she was going to be alright,” Willow says as she leans in and kisses Amelia and then me on the cheek.

“Sweetheart, Abb
ey will be just fine with your mom and step-dad,” Asher reassures her.

“I know. I
t was just harder than I thought it would be leaving her. Asher, you remember Dr. Peters, right?” Willow indicates in my direction.

“
Please, you can all call me Kyle,” I tell them both.

I stand and
shake Asher’s hand. He looks hard into my eyes and squeezes my hand with a little bit more force than I think is necessary.

“I remember him, how could I forget.
It was one of the happiest days of my life,” Asher says.

Amelia stands and places her hand on the two of ours and looks into Asher’s eyes. I can tell he is protective of his
little sister. As he should be, I know exactly how he feels. I was just as protective of Chloe, growing up. They seem to have some secret eye conversation and thankfully Asher let’s go of my hand and everyone takes their seat.

The conversation is going great
. Amelia and Willow are chatting away, Asher is talking to me about Abbey when Amelia stops talking mid sentence. She places her hand on mine on top of the table and the other goes in her hair and she immediately starts twirling it.

The last time she did that i
s when she was talking about her ex-boyfriend. I trace the direction she is looking, and I see a man walking up to our table. I pull my hand out from under hers and protectively place it over the top of hers.

“Well well
, if it isn’t Amelia,” the man says with a condescending grin on his face.

Willow has an angry look on her
face, she must sense Amelia’s distress as well. Asher places his napkin on top of the table and looks at Amelia with concern.

“Roger, what are you doing here?” Amelia says
in barely a whisper.

Instantly Willow is out of her chair sending it crashing to the ground. Asher is next out of his chair and takes a stand next to Willow.

“What’s going on here?” Asher demands.

“Of all the nerve.
How dare you come up to Amelia? How dare you even show your face around her? If I were you, I would turn that fucking skinny ass back around and leave before I do something that will land me in jail. And I just had a baby, and I really don’t want to end up there, but trust me I have no problem with it,” Willow says, pointing in his face.